Readers share more Hawaii restaurants they miss
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Last week I wrote about long-gone restaurants and the dishes readers would like to be able to dine on again. Over 100 readers responded and suggested their favorite places, so here is another installment.
Likelike Drive Inn
Wayne Shiohira said, “My favorite restaurant of the past was the old Like Like Drive Inn, on Keeaumoku Street. Although it was renovated in the 1990s, it’s the original one built in 1953 that I have the fondest memories of.
“People flocked to its central location that was open 24 hours a day. It was usually busy, being close to the Civic Auditorium, the Honolulu Stadium and the Honolulu International Center. It was one of the few places having long tables in the party room that could accommodate a large group.
“I still remember sitting at the soda fountain watching banana splits, peach melbas, strawberry and chocolate sundaes, and ice cream sodas being assembled.
“My dad would take us kids there to visit our mother, who was a night waitress, usually working behind the soda fountain till the wee hours of the morning.
“Sister liked a strawberry ice cream cone, brother got vanilla and not chocolate because of his asthma, and Mom always gave me sherbet because I was a chubby kid. Those are great memories for me to have and cherish as a senior.”
Tasty Broilers
Terry Savage fondly remembers the Tasty Broiler at 808 Smith St. and Nimitz Highway downtown. “It was one of my 1970s favorites,” he said. “Where else could we penny-pinching college kids get a steak for a couple of bucks?”
I went to Tasty Broiler many times as well. Often, when I was going to the University of Hawaii, 10-15 of us students would drive over to its green building for lunch. A tenderloin steak with mushrooms was $3.50, says a 1975 menu that I have.
That came with bread, salad, fruit cocktail, soup, drink and dessert. Mahimahi or ulua was $2.30. A fried half-chicken was $2.30. Lamb chops were $2.55. Lobster tail was $6.
The Willows
Kawika Grant said his favorite was The Willows. Its chicken curry and “sky high” lemon or coconut cream pie were fantastic. Roger Hawley of Maui says there is nothing today like The Willows, which was built around a natural artesian pond in Moiliili. A trip to Hawaii without visiting The Willows, said entertainer Arthur Godfrey, was “just plain unthinkable.”
Best hamburger steaks
Harold Tanaka said, “In the early 1950s we would go to the Varsity Sweet Shop next to Kuni Dry Goods on King Street and University Avenue after Boy Scouts on Saturday.
“For 25 cents we would get one scoop of rice, a hamburger steak patty (made with bread and onions) and gravy all over.
“To this day I’ve never had a more delicious patty and gravy, earning Varsity Sweet Shop a doctorate in my quest for the best hamburger steak and gravy.”
Canlis
Archie J. Thornton says one of his favorite spots for a special occasion or business meeting was Canlis Restaurant, which opened in 1954 at the corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Kalaimoku Street.
“One particular dish that I liked to order was a fresh fish-of-the-day marinated in teriyaki, with tsuyahime rice and ginger. Ono (good tasting … not necessarily the fish).”
Kuhio Grill
Gary Jennings from Nuuanu says, “I came to Honolulu in 1966 to attend the University of Hawaii. We heard there was a small restaurant/bar in Moiliili that had good food, and decided to stop one evening. The staff and waitresses were very friendly, and we ordered a Kirin beer.
“All of a sudden, unordered food started appearing at our table. We were puzzled. The tables around us were receiving corn on the cob, steak, shrimp tempura, and the like, while we were dining on boiled peanuts and dried cuttlefish and strange chips.
“We still haven’t ordered anything. Perplexed, we are left wondering why there was a discrepancy in food and how did we pay for food we didn’t order?
“About a week later we returned. We asked some of the other patrons why they got steak and shrimp while we received the dried cuttlefish.
“They explained the process to us: This was a pupu bar, and the waitresses would prepare the plates for their customers, and the customers in turn would tip the waitresses according to the food they received.
“Once the waitress got to know and trust you, she would respond with upgraded plates of food.
“We finally established a relationship with a waitress who we would ask for upon entering the Kuhio Grill, and we would pay for the Kirins with $20 bills and leave the change on the table.
“All of a sudden, we too were eating the delicious plates that
